Problems · by component

2018 Honda Odyssey power train problems

166 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2018 Honda Odyssey cite power train, 16% of all 1,012 complaints for this model year. NHTSA also lists 1 recall on this component.

Complaints
166
16% of all complaints
Crashes
3
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the power train

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“The contact owns a 2018 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled and lost motive power with several warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, shifted the vehicle into park(P), and there was smoke coming from the engine. The vehicle failed to restart after the failure. The vehicle was towed to a service center, where an engine failure was confirmed, and the contact was referred to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine and front axle had failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure by telephone. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 26, 2026Power train, EngineODI 11773824
“2018 Honda Odyssey EX-L, The vehicle consistently has a significant delay in acceleration. This is especially noticeable when starting from a stop or low speed and attempting to make a left turn across traffic. The accelerator pedal is pressed, but the vehicle sometimes provides little or no acceleration for 1 to 2 seconds. The vehicle will then begin accelerating, sometimes abruptly. This has created a safety concern because the vehicle can begin entering an intersection but fail to accelerate as expected, leaving it exposed to approaching traffic. The problem has occurs regularly and has been noticeable for an extended period. There are no intentional actions by the driver that would account for the delayed response. I am aware of two other Honda odysseys doing the exact same thing. One being my neighbor who brought it up themselves and another, an individual at work. My neighbor has the same year and model. The other I am unsure about. This seems to be a consistent and likely widespread issue. The vehicle is a 2018 Honda Odyssey EX-L equipped with the 9-speed automatic transmission. I will be scheduling the vehicle with a Honda dealership and ask the…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 19, 2026Power trainODI 11765551
“My vehicle intermittently shifts from normal automatic Drive (D) into S mode without any intentional driver input. I do not touch or activate the steering-wheel paddle shifter when this occurs. Searching on reddit and other forums I see many other drivers have the same issue. The problem appears to happen primarily after coming to a complete stop, such as at a traffic light or stop sign. When I then press the accelerator to proceed, the vehicle may have very little acceleration because it has unexpectedly entered S mode. This has occurred while I was attempting to turn or proceed into traffic and has nearly caused an accident on multiple occasions. The issue is intermittent and cannot be reproduced on demand. However, it has happened multiple times under similar circumstances. I am certain I did not intentionally activate the paddle shifter. I am concerned this may be a safety defect involving the electronic shift control, paddle shifter, transmission controls, sensors, or related software. An unexpected change in transmission mode immediately after stopping can create a dangerous situation because the driver expects normal automatic operation and acceleration…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 9, 2026Power trainODI 11763173
“The vehicle would not accelerate over 40MPH, we took the vehicle into the dealership for what we thought was a failed fuel injector, upon inspection they found metal shavings in the oil and mentioned the engine is not repairable and would need a whole new replacement. We had this vehicle 9 months. Upon investigation there was a known recall that is identical to the issues we are experiencing. The whole engine is failed and we cannot utilize it. It was inspected by the dealership. The check engine light is illuminating, and does not increase in speed. My family and I were unable to drive at a reasonable speed on the highway once it failed.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 1, 2026Power trainODI 11761430
“The car on a weekly basis or almost every time it is driven. The car jerks when driving at low speeds. This is a safety risk when driving for vehicles in front or behind me, as the car jerks forward. This has been mentioned to the dealer, but they stated a charge of 180 USD will be incurred for diagnoses. If you look at the NHTSA complaints database there are numerous complaints similar to what I am experiencing from other owners stating the same issue of jerkiness on the honda Odessey. I am surprised there is no recall on this. I put the date in down below but it happens almost every time the car is driven.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 27, 2026Power trainODI 11760061
“Wife was going to the store engine lost power and died prior to that steering got loose like trying to turn itself, towed to dealer inspected dealer cleaned throttle returned vehicle after cost of 807.00 and drove van to church tailgate would not open without vehicle running, got home turned off windshield washers operated brittle with key off, remote key system problem displayed also hill hold, brake failure and steering message on dash prior, dealer picked up van inspected again found defective seal sealer on passenger side leak in water on wiring harness pins and soaking power distribution box said that was causing issues and stalling driving and safety system issues, van is at dealer, also tailgate after you open with ding when open and will close by itself, safety issues will close while you or small child in at back closes from behind you”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 9, 2026Power train, Electrical system, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11755762

Showing 6 of 166 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Related recalls

1 recall on this component

Power train: automatic transmission

Free remedy

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Odyssey vehicles. Loose battery terminal connections or a degraded battery may cause the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) to unexpectedly reboot. Upon rebooting, the TCU may shift the transmission to the "Park" position, possibly damaging the parking rod.

Power trainReported Apr 12, 2019NHTSA 19V299000
Data from NHTSA Recalls API · synced Nov 3, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.